Barwick-in-Elmet

Church of England Primary School

It's Good to be Green!

An effective discipline policy is one that seeks to lead pupils towards high self-esteem and self-discipline. Consequently, good discipline arises from relationships built on trust and respect and from setting expectations of good behaviour. We believe that self-esteem affects all thinking and behaviour and impacts on learning and performance. We aim to provide positive everyday experiences so that our pupils are more likely to reach their full potential. We believe that celebrating success helps pupils to achieve and succeed therefore we endorse the use of praise and a system of rewards to encourage good behaviour than blaming and punishing. We use a positive system of rewards to increase pupil’s self-esteem and help them to achieve more.

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Underpinning our whole school behaviour ethos is “It’s good to be green”.

We believe that it is important to encourage, praise and reward good behaviour using ‘Its Good to be Green’ rewards and resources.

The Good to be Green chart displays every pupil’s name below a pocket containing a green, yellow and red card.

Pupils are encouraged to ‘stay on green’ through the visual aid and through a variety of rewards – this avoids overlooking those pupils who consistently behave well.

In each class, the expected code of conduct are displayed next to the ‘Good to be Green’ chart.

Pupils have the chance to start afresh on a green card every day and are expected to maintain that status throughout the day

‘Privilege’ cards are awarded throughout the day for those pupils who display exemplary behaviour and give others a role model to aspire towards. At the end of the day Privilege Cards are rewarded with a visit to the Headteacher for praise, stickers and Good to Be Green pencils or badges.

If a pupil starts to show signs that their behaviour is moving away from class expectations, a member of staff will offer one verbal warning. This may be directed at an individual or delivered to the class as a whole. If they do not heed this warning the teacher will turn their green frog card towards the wall; this is a non-verbal prompt that the pupil needs to ‘turn their behaviour around’. As soon as the pupil reaches this stage, their card is turned around.

If a pupil deliberately chooses not to adhere to the agreed expectations they move onto a yellow card. At this stage, the pupil has made the choice to not turn their behaviour around. It is important for the child to reflect on their actions at this stage therefore they will be asked to fill out a ‘Reflections Sheet’.

The reflection sheet is underpinned by several core Christian values, one or more of which the child will have ‘broken’ by this stage. The child will be asked to reflect on what they have done, with a focus on the values they have not shown. The reflection sheets promote the value of forgiveness and a fresh start- thus allowing teacher and pupil to move forward positively- but also underlines the importance of saying sorry, and actively showing repentance. The child will further be given the opportunity to communicate with their teacher, in the event that there is more the school can to do help with their behaviour.

In EYFS and Year 1, the reflection sheet will be done on a 1:1 basis between teacher and pupil. The teacher will scribe and rephrase the questions as appropriate for each individual child. The reflection sheets will be filed in the event that a child is showing repeated disobedience so that they can be looked back upon or shared with a parent.

After this, the child can have their warning card removed by displaying appropriate behaviour and remorse. Should the child continue along the same path, they will be dealt with by one of the Assistant Headteachers. This may involve doing work in a space in their class until they are available to deal with the child directly. The Assistant Headteachers will use their professional judgment to decide on the best approach, depending on the nature of the behaviour or incident.

If a pupil continues to make bad choices after meeting with the Assistant Headteachers, they will receive a red card. The teachers will then need to arrange a Headteacher’s appointment in which their behaviour will be discussed and appropriate action taken. It is important that the member of staff who gave the red card meets with the Headteacher before this appointment to clarify the behaviour and consequence. This is to be the ultimate stage of discipline, reserved for serious incidents or a deliberate lack of cooperation with all other members of staff. Some examples of incidents/behaviours that may result in a direct red card are: